Kris Cyr, a teacher at Brockport High School, stands in a hallway at the school with her daughter Shawna Cyr’s prom dress hanging on a locker behind her. / Annette Lein/staff photographer

I wanted to pass along a link to an article in today’s Democrat & Chronicle in which I followup on the Blog I wrote for you about Brockport’s Kris Cyr. Click here for the article.

Kris is the science teacher from Brockport High School who lost her daughter Shawna in a distracted driving accident in 2006. Kris and the Cyr family have spoken at Brockport and Spencerport High Schools about the dangers of distracted driving.

The article talks about what other other districts are doing to address distracted driving as well and quotes from Brockport High students I had the opportunity to interview about Cyr’s presentation.

“I couldn’t save my own child. But if I can save someone else’s by talking about Shawna then it’s all worth it.” – BHS Teacher Kris Cyr

Tonight Brockport High School students will don tuxedos and dresses as they celebrate their senior prom.

Last week, they donned tears and they gazed upon an unworn prom dress displayed on their high school stage.

The dress belonged to Shawna Cyr – a January 2006 graduate of BHS.

Shawna was planning to wear the dress to her senior prom, but a month earlier – on April 15th, 2006 – she died in a car crash on Swamp Road in Sweden.

The cause of Shawna’s one-vehicle accident: distracted driving.

I can say with absolute certainty that Shawna was texting at the very moment she crashed. It was a clear case of distracted driving. – Kris Cyr

Kris laid Shawna’s prom dress out for all BHS juniors and seniors to see last week during assemblies where she spoke about Shawna’s accident.

“I wanted them to feel the sadness,” Kris said. “I wanted them to know Shawna didn’t wake up with the intention of dying that day. But because of distracted driving she did.”

Kris urged the students not to engage in distracted driving – such as texting, eating, talking on the phone, applying makeup, etc. – on prom night or anytime.

“I couldn’t save my own child,” Kris said. “But if I can save someone else’s by talking about Shawna then it’s all worth it.”

Kris and her husband Mark, a retired Brockport Police Officer, began talking about Shawna’s accident in 2007 when they were asked to speak at Spencerport High School. They now speak at Brockport as well.

Kris has been a biology and forensics science teacher at Brockport High School for the past sixteen years.

Although Mark could not attend last week’s presentation at BHS, Kris was joined on stage by her other two daughters Whitney and Kasey.

Officer Adam Messiti of the Brockport Police Department – and a close friend of the family – also joined them.

Officer Mesiti, who responded to the scene of Shawna’s accident, had chilling words for the students. “I watched Shawna grow up,” Mesiti said. “And I watched her die.”

Kris pointed out that in addition to texting at the moment of impact, Shawna was distracted that night in other ways. She did not have her seat belt on and she was drinking a coffee. She was also driving a vehicle she was unfamiliar with.

Additionally, witnesses reported Shawna swerving to avoid hitting a fox that ran into the road right before she crashed – something Kris said Shawna would have done because “She would never ever have wanted to hurt another living thing.”

Kris remembers her daughter as kind, spirited, always reaching out to help others and hard working. She graduated from BHS early so she could begin college at SUNY Brockport.

At the time of her death Shawna was a student at SUNY Brockport and worked at two different restaurants in town.

“Losing a child is not a hill you get over or a tunnel you get through,” Kris said. “You move forward with your life, but you live your life differently.”

Kris hopes the teenagers she speaks too will live their lives differently after hearing Shawna’s story too.

“I’m not here to tell you what not to do,” Kris said during the presentation at BHS. “I am just bearing witness to what can happen when you drive distracted. Think before you act.”

Caurie Putnam I'm proud to have called Brockport my home for the past 15 years. I love it because it has a small town feel, but the presence of SUNY Brockport adds a small city flavor. I moved to Brockport after graduating from the University of Rochester to cover the community as a reporter for Messenger Post Newspapers. I grew up in Connecticut and Washington County, NY but fell in love with Brockport and decided to raise my family here. I am a single mom to two busy little boys who take after their busy Mommy! I am also a freelance writer for The Democrat and Chronicle and several other publications in western New York. My Brockport activities include: The Brockport Moms Club, Brockport PTSA, JJ's Angels, The Brockport Blizzards, and Tri-County Youth Hockey. As the Brockport Blogger, my goal is to bring you positive, family centered, community news and photos. Brockport is the hidden gem of Monroe County and I love to shine it up. Please send ideas, press releases, and feedback to Caurie at caurie@urgrad.rochester.edu You can also follow me on Twitter at @CauriePutnam